Sing A Song of Cheer Again
by QuickQuotesQuill07
Summary: "The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart."  Happiness:  everyone strives to reach it.  That said, the children of the people who saved the wizarding world are no exceptions.
1. All My Life I've Only Been Pretending

**I do not own anything except OCs. JK Rowling owns all. Chapter title from "On My Own" from the musical Les Miserables.**

**

* * *

**

**All My Life I've Only Been Pretending**

Something was weighing Lily down, both literally and figuratively. Currently, she was on the Hogwarts Express, nestled under Brandon McLaggen's large arm in a compartment with a few of her friends. She was starting off her fifth year at Hogwarts high in the social ladder, dating someone considered to be one of the best looking in their year as well as doing commendably in her classes.

But aside from striving academically, Lily couldn't find it in her to care about all the other things. She had quite a summer, only because it was spent with family; the people with whom she could be plain old Lily Luna and not Harry Potter's little girl. Usually, she'd have jumped at the chance of having her friends and Brandon over, but for the past few months, she had been using the excuse of family gatherings, whether they were real or fake, to duck her friends' numerous invitations to different unrestricted parties.

Since third year, she had been longing for the time James graduated so that there would be one less pair of eyes watching her every move, waiting to report to their parents. Now that the time has come, she was a bit disappointed in herself for her lack of interest in taking part of the frivolity she could only dream of with her eldest brother still at school.

Lily was zoning in and out of her friend Natasha's overzealous rant, proclaiming herself the best dressed girl at Hogwarts when a horde of students of differing ages quite loudly passed by their compartment. Brandon grinned impishly, while her friends wrinkled their noses in disapproval.

According to Lily's dad, the Hogwarts Frog Choir was quite the spectacle when he went to school. Lead by Professor Flitwick, they captured the student body's rapt attention in their fantastic displays of vocal ability. Nowadays, Headmaster Flitwick is quite flooded with work, pretty much in all senses of the word. The new Charms Professor has her head too far up in the clouds to be bothered with handling an extra-curricular activity, but luckily the teacher for Ancient Runes stepped up to the plate. Professor McCormack however, a half-blood, decided to infuse a bit of muggle flair into the group's performances.

Apparently, in the twenty-two year gap from when her dad last attended Hogwarts until she first set foot in the castle, things went sour for the group.

A head of short, mousy brown hair poked into the compartment. "Hello Lily, d'you have a good summer?"

Hollis Lancelot or, since he insisted on being called by his middle name, Riley was a Hufflepuff in the same year. Being bespectacled and more on the thin side, he was the perfect target for the burlier Quidditch players to pick on. It also didn't help that he had been in the Frog Choir since his first year. Although Lily noticed that to his credit, he was fiercely loyal to the group of outcasts he was affiliated with and his glasses made his kind brown eyes look larger and more expressive. They didn't run in the same circles but he always had a greeting and a friendly smile ready whenever they ran into each other, which is why she considered him a friend.

"_Our_ summer was none of your damn business, pouf. Can't you see we're busy?" Brandon replied before Lily could open her mouth and give her answer.

Lily's friends openly laughed at the crass remark. If Riley noticed, he gave no indication of doing so. "So I guess I'll see you around the castle then," he told Lily before he went on his way.

"Watch this," Brandon said to the other occupants of the compartment as he drew his wand and peered after the Hufflepuff.

"Brandon," warned Lily.

The boy paid her no mind and fired a trip jinx at the Hufflepuff's retreating form. The effect was instantaneous. Like a rug was pulled out from under him, Riley fell face-first onto the train floor.

Lily shoved past Brandon as loud, booming laughter and wicked cackling filled the air behind her. The fall caused a bit of a commotion, leading students to open their compartment doors and get a better look at the scene that could potentially escalate.

Lily dropped to her knees next to Riley's crumpled form just as he was groaning in pain and pulling himself up. His glasses had snapped at the bridge and were now laying useless on the floor. Closer inspection of his face made her remove the ribbon holding her hair in a ponytail and press it firmly against his nose.

"You're bleeding."

"What's going on here?" asked an authoritative voice. All heads turned to see Rose Weasley flanked by a few other students and her brother Hugo, fresh out of a prefects' meeting. Rose's blue eyes were darting from Lily and Riley, who were now both standing, to Brandon who was frozen a few yards back. Rose's eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze between the red-stained cloth Riley kept pressed to his nose and the wand clutched in Brandon's hand.

Clearly gaining nothing from the silence, Rose turned to one person she believed could give her an answer, "Lily?"

Lily stood in stony silence for what felt like hours. She felt it would be some sort of betrayal to nark on her sort-of-boyfriend but the attack on Riley was completely unprovoked. After what felt like ages, she opened her mouth to reply, unsure of what to say when a cloth-muffled voice beat her to the punch. "I was looking for my friends when I tripped and fell. Took a nasty tumble, but it doesn't feel like I broke anything."

Rose still looked unconvinced. "Is that what happened?" she asked as she rounded on Lily.

Everyone was staring at her expectantly. Rose. Riley. The spectators. She opened her mouth, "I didn't really see anything."

"I guess I made a bit of noise landing on my face," Riley supplied followed by a chuckle at his lame attempt at a joke, "Lily must've heard and came to help me."

Rose looked Riley over just in case he had some other injury. When she was satisfied with her examination, she left to send an owl to Madam Macavoy so she may properly treat the injured student upon arrival at the castle.

When the crowd had dispersed, Lily found herself standing alone with Riley. A quick _Reparo _solved the problem with his glasses, which were now once again perched on his nose. Holding the blood-soaked ribbon in his hand, he made an odd motion with the intention to return it to Lily, but seemed to have thought better halfway through.

"Keep it," Lily replied, saving him any further trouble.

Riley smiled a lopsided grin. "Thanks."

It didn't take long for them to be immersed in an awkward, painful silence. Lily could hear him clear his throat a few times; could swear she heard him mumbling to himself a bit, but refused to call attention to it.

"Well," Riley began in a strained voice, "I think I better go find the rest of the choir – "

"Oh, I'll walk with you," Lily exclaimed.

The Hufflepuff scratched his head bemusedly, sending his short brown hair into odd angles. "I'm feeling just fine…_really_…you don't need to escort me anywhere – "

"I wasn't asking for permission."

The boy looked taken aback for several seconds but seemed to have shrugged it off. Riley started down the corridor, with Lily falling in step with him.

"You knew that was Brandon," Lily began, finally voicing her doubts, "back there."

It wasn't phrased as a question and it obviously wasn't one. Riley checked from the corner of his eye to find her regarding him carefully. "Yes, I knew it was Brandon."

"Then why did you – ?"

It was his turn to interrupt. "Lying was the only way that I could escape the situation the most painless way possible," Riley commented casually with a half shrug before continuing, "I didn't think it quite fair for your cousin to put you on the spot and it looked like you were having a hard time coming up with something. So _I_ told her instead."

Lily stopped in her tracks. He wasn't implying…? "There wasn't anything to '_come up with_'. I would've told her the truth."

Riley stopped as well, turning to look at her with raised eyebrows. "Would you have? Look, I get it; it's not a problem. You don't want to be seen as some uptight bint by narking on your boyfriend."

Was that really what he thought? Did he really think her motivations were influenced by wanting to keep her social image as it is? What if it wasn't just him, but everyone else as well?

_Isn't it?_ That snide, critical voice in her head commented. _What reason could you have to even consider covering up such a violent, unprovoked attack? _

Lily was sure her face was contorted in a hurt, contemplative grimace, because the boy's eyes grew comically large and attempted to salvage the situation.

"I'm not implying anything," Riley assured her, snapping her out of her own thoughts, "I get that we belong to two completely distinct worlds and I'm fine with that. There are expectations of you just the same as there are expectations of me. And, despite the teasing and hexes, believe it or not, I'm happy where I am. Just as you are with yours, I'd bet."

Noticing Lily's prolonged silence, he decided to continue, "Besides, wanting to protect Brandon from detentions on his first day back shows remarkable loyalty." Riley was glad to see that he was able to coax a small smile out of the redhead so he went on, "You would've made a great Hufflepuff, Lily Potter."

They continued their walk in silence and finally stopped outside a compartment where his friends were obviously waiting. The muffled sounds of singing and laughing and students trying to talk over each other could be heard. The way they acted like some tight-knit family, it wasn't hard for Lily to believe Riley's every word about being happy with his lot in life.

"Well, this is me," said the boy, a nervous smile playing on his lips, "I'll see you around the castle."

And with that, he unlatched the door and joined his friends inside.

Lily made her way back to her compartment where her boyfriend and her friends sat waiting. She was in no hurry however, since some things Riley said had gotten to her.

Feeling like being crushed under the weight of everything was no fluke. Those feelings were there for a reason and they were most definitely trying to tell her something. It's one thing to find your life content or even bearable, but Riley said he was _happy_. Happy wasn't ducking her friends by saying she was being dragged to some lavish Ministry party by her parents when in reality, she was lounging around her house and eating a pint of ice cream. Happy wasn't having the weekly family trip to Hagrid's hut as the only thing to look forward to. Happy wasn't feeling forced to put up some stupid pretenses when she clearly found it to be oh so tiring and pointless.

_Happy_, as realization dawned on Lily, wasn't anywhere near her at the moment.

* * *

**So...I'm back.**

**And to remedy my overly-sunny outlook from the travesties you could call my previous stories, I tried to get myself as jaded as I could. _Really_, I did.**

**...that is, until I got sucked into _Glee_. You can probably tell, since I couldn't resist sneaking a reference in. A reference that will continue to be a plot point for Lily's storyline.**

**But I believe that show is just the perfect mix of sunshine and rainbows while keeping a level of snark to it. So, armed with a thing or two I learned from a few magnificent stories out there, this'll be my second shot. **

**Each chapter title (as well as the overall story title) will be a line from a song done on the show that is so obviously encompassing my entire life. Aside from Harry Potter, of course.**

**That said, I hope some of you will stick around with me through the journey...or watch me fail spectacularly.**


	2. What Do You Say to Taking Chances?

**Nothing is mine except OCs. Everything Harry Potter is by the fabulous JK Rowling. Chapter title is from "Taking Chances" by Celine Dion.**

* * *

**What Do You Say to Taking Chances?**

Very few things in life are certain.

One thing everyone saw coming, however was Rose Weasley's ascendance to the title of Head Girl.

Her first day on the job had only served to prove that it was more or less her birthright. She had run the prefects' meeting efficiently, and that was with her cousin Albus there, cracking jokes the entire time. According to him, after she had backed him into a wall and berated him for it, it was all part of his plan to get the prefects to follow them by employing the muggle "good cop/bad cop" routine.

Even the minor incidents were no hassle. After the prefects' meeting, she came upon that Lancelot choir boy bleeding on the train floor while her cousin Lily had been trying to assist him. Rose suspected foul play at once, since it wasn't a big secret that the Quidditch players liked to pick on the Frog Choir constantly. Rose spotted that sixth-year pillock McLaggen frozen stupidly a few compartments away clutching a wand, cementing Rose's suspicions.

But the injured party in question insisted that the incident was all due in part of his own clumsiness. With none of the possible eyewitnesses wanting to step forward and give a differing account of events, Rose dealt with the situation accordingly.

Rose sent an owl to Madam Macavoy, the Matron of the Hospital Wing, thus ending her head duties on the train.

With that taken care of, she strode down the hallway, en route to her compartment when she passed one by that housed some inconsiderately loud and familiar people.

She pushed the compartment door open with a force that made the glass rattle. The boisterous laughter from within ceased as every head turned to look at her. Pucey and Bole, upon realizing who was intruding on their raucous retelling of some anecdote or another, stared at Rose in stony silence. The giggling trio of Selwyn, Nott and Zabini shifted their attention to her as well when they lost that of Rose's reason for dropping in.

"Malfoy," Rose greeted formally, "can I have a quick word?"

The grey eyes that zeroed in upon her thunderous arrival crinkled at the corners as he gave a smile and nod of his head as he attempted to extricate himself from the three girls, especially Selwyn, who had (what could only be described as) her fuchsia claws latched onto his upper arm. Once successful, Scorpius smoothed over his navy cashmere sweater, the shiny green and silver captain's badge pinned accordingly, and indicated that she lead the way out.

"As you may very well know, my cousin Albus and I have been selected as this year's Heads," Rose began her explanation as Scorpius easily fell into step next to her, "With him on the Slytherin Quidditch Team…_your_ Quidditch team…he thought it important to have all the training schedules worked out as not to interfere with his duties."

Scorpius was about to speak but she didn't seem to notice and plowed on, "Well, that's not entirely accurate. He just wanted a definite training schedule; _I_ saw the benefits of it allowing him to do his duties."

They had obviously reached her compartment. Nothing was out of the ordinary since the shade was pulled down and everyone knew Rose Weasley liked to be away from prying eyes with her privacy intact. Scorpius slid the door open and allowed her to pass through.

"So if you could let me know what times you're available," she continued her little speech as she entered her compartment, knowing fully that he would follow and have the good sense to shut the door, "so I may check with the other captains and – mmph…"

In one quick motion, Scorpius had followed her in, practically slammed the door behind him and silenced her with a kiss.

Rose's eyes slid closed, bringing her arms up to wind around his neck as his easily slid around her waist. As Scorpius placed kiss after kiss on her lips, the Head Girl emitted small hums of contentment as she responded in turn.

Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley weren't rivals. Scorpius and Rose weren't the best of friends. For the record, Rose did try to spark the academic rivalry her father clearly intended that she dominate. That is, until they had to submit their first Transfiguration essay. Rose slaved over hers while Malfoy never bothered to do his. As far as she knew, laziness, reckless spending and (since he was sorted into Slytherin after all) inherent sneakiness would be the end of the list of Scorpius Malfoy's faults.

They weren't really _anything_ to each other, to be honest. She easily claimed her niche as top of the class while he made himself known for his skill on the pitch. There was really nothing to fight or compete for so they got to know each other from a spectator's point of view.

Rose was able to see that Scorpius Malfoy had a clear definition of who he was, which was very uncommon for people their age. He may have been a Quidditch player but he didn't feel the need to bully or exert dominance over the rest of the school. He'd heartily participate in the Slytherin team's intimidation techniques whenever they were trying to haze opponents before a match, but he was never in on anything that got out of hand or overly cruel.

The only prominent interaction between them was through a Charms study group Rose led the previous year. Possibly as a token of gratitude for helping him through the exam revisions, Scorpius asked her out on the train ride back to London. They'd somehow just clicked and had been seeing each other ever since.

Was making Quidditch captain expected of Scorpius Malfoy? Yes. Was Head Girl expected of Rose Weasley? _Hell_ yes. Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy involved in a clandestine summer romance? I'd say you've been spending too much time inhaling those potion fumes, lady.

But then Rose's maternal grandparents (who retired all the way in Australia, for some reason) were celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary, meaning her family just had to go and stay with them for the month of August. Rose missed James' eighteenth birthday party while Hugo had to turn fourteen without Grandma Molly's amazing birthday cake. Most importantly, she had to spend the whole month not seeing or speaking to her paramour.

Rose felt Scorpius pull away for air and rest his forehead against hers, allowing her to open her eyes and take a good look at him. "Didn't quite mean to shut you up, but it's been too long and I just had to do that," he admitted sheepishly, pulling back slightly to fully see her face, "How was Australia?"

"It was great," Rose replied, "mum got in touch with their ministry and we got to have a look around wizarding Sydney."

Scorpius took a seat and pulled her down next to him, allowing her to press into his side as she told him more about her holiday. "What we didn't enjoy were all the spiders though. My grandparents took us to a local zoo where they featured their spider exhibit. That was a big mistake if there ever was one; most of them were bloody gigantic and if they weren't they were incredibly venomous. Sometimes both." Rose smiled to herself and continued, "We couldn't get anything out of dad for days."

"What did you end up doing for your grandparents?"

"Oh," said Rose uneasily, pushing up off Scorpius to sit stiffly, "mum threw them a little garden party with all their friends."

Scorpius stared at her, gauging her reaction, "Yeah?"

"Gran made sure those that had any teenage grandsons, brought them along," she added, sitting frozen, uneasily twiddling her fingers, "She likes to play matchmaker a bit, gran. Says I'd probably be a lot less moody if I had a man to occupy my thoughts."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. After it was apparent that Rose wouldn't either, he decided to coax it out of her, "And?"

"Well I spoke to them of course, I didn't want to seem rude!" she replied hotly. She chanced a glance at him through her peripheral vision and saw him shaking uncontrollably.

Taking a closer look, it turned out he was just sniggering quietly to himself, which turned into full-blown, guffawing laughter when he saw the look on her face.

Rose stood up indignantly and was about to march out of the compartment with the dignity she had left when Scorpius caught her wrist and gently pulled her back.

"I…" Scorpius had to pause for a short spell of chuckles, "…I don't really know what you were so afraid I'd do." Scorpius looked at Rose bemusedly, "Do you think me the blindly jealous type to actually stop you from talking to other men? Wait. Did you _want _me to be jealous?"

"What? No, no, no," Rose replied, "Believe me, I've read one too many stories about irrational jealousy…mostly involving vampires…to last me a lifetime. I just thought…mum always taught me and Hugo that trust and communication are the cornerstones of relationships," Rose shared, staring resolutely at her hands folded on her lap as she did so. "No matter how large of a row she gets in with dad, at the end of the day, their love comes from the fact that they respect each other enough to say exactly what they're thinking. I guess what I'm saying is," Rose looked up to stare directly at Scorpius, "that's something I'd like for...you know…_us_."

Scorpius didn't quite know what to make of that. He did like Rose enough, but comparing them to her parents; a fully-bonded married couple and all that; to them, who had only began dating months ago? Not quite wanting to let any of his confusion on, he made it a point to press his lips against hers for a short kiss as a sufficient reaction.

As Rose once again wound her arm around his and thread their fingers together, she leaned her head on his shoulder and heard, "So we're completely good, right?"

"I'd say we're at a much better place than 'good' actually," Rose replied.

"You don't want to hex my bollocks off or throw Ana Selwyn in the path of the train?" Scorpius clarified, "After what you walked in on earlier?" he decided to be more specific as he met her questioning gaze.

"You know I _do_ have eyes and I saw that _she_ was blanketing herself over _you_ faster than a starving Lethifold, right?"

"Well yeah but – "

"So it's settled," she interrupted resolutely and much too calmly to be considered _settled_.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it, Rose?" Scorpius asked uncertainly.

"Well…I won't say I'm happy about it," she began, "But I understand that while we're keeping us a secret, there are things I'll just have to get used to."

By the way she was curling into his side, her eyes drooping bit by bit, the conversation was made apparent to be over. If it wasn't for the silence in the compartment (except for the slight rattle of the moving train) Scorpius wouldn't have heard her mumbling sleepily, "Besides, you're here now, right?"

Scorpius pressed his lips to her forehead as she slumbered quietly. "Yeah Rose. I'm here."

* * *

**First off, sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I know Chapter 5 should be Rose/Scorpius centric, but it's not forming smoothly in my head right now. Or on paper. I should probably scrap the first draft and start anew. Aside from that, I was busy with college, and I'm spending my summer pretty much pining after the summer movies I am unable to watch and finding a job. Luckily, I found enough enthusiasm to go through my first four chapters and tweak them a bit. **


	3. I Just Wanna Live While I'm Alive

**Again, the only thing I own are OCs, which Warner Bros. has no interest in, so they're pretty much worthless. I acknowledge JK Rowling's greatness and thank her for not barring her fans from writing fanfiction, no matter how great or how dreadful they may turn out. Chapter title is from "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi.**

* * *

**I Just Wanna Live While I'm Alive**

James didn't know what did the trick of waking him, the pounding in his head or the blinding light. His back wasn't faring any better, most likely due to the lumpy…thing…he was laying on. In the end, James decided to tackle the easiest discomfort to rid himself of, the solution being rolling himself over to the left side of his bed. James began to do so…until he fell off whatever he was laying on with a thud, as well as hit his head on what felt like the leg of a table.

James squeezed his eyes shut even tighter from the pain, at the same time, struggling to pull himself into a standing position. The headache, coupled with a major head rush had him settling for a seat instead. It was at this point that James got a good look at his surroundings.

_Ah._ Now he remembered. Aidan Finnegan's housewarming party, celebrating his new flat and newfound independence. It didn't get wild enough for James to have some mystery drunken hookup but he had definitely been inebriated enough to crash on his friend's couch.

Which is where he was once again seated at the moment. In front of him lay the offending coffee table, still littered with empty bottles and empty packets and crumbs of crisps. Beyond that were glass French doors, painfully bare and opening up the entire room to the blinding sunlight.

It didn't take him long to realize that he wasn't alone. While he was lucky enough to score the three-seater, some other person wasn't so lucky, and had to curl up in a wonky-looking fetal position in a moldy armchair. Feeling quite akin to a newborn fawn, James once again tried his hand at standing upright. Achieving success this second time around, he brushed down his plaid shirt, checked his pocket for his wand and crept out of his friend's apartment.

After walking himself over to a secluded alley, James apparated himself onto the sidewalk facing a modest, two story cottage. Despite the hedges looking like they could use a bit of a trim or the lawn having slightly too noticeable bald spots and weeds to be considered immaculate, this was still the place James called home. James crossed into the yard, wincing slightly from feeling the odd tingle of the magical wards set around the property.

James once again relied upon his three Ds to get himself into his room, where he stiffly peeled off his clothing, slightly ridding himself of smelling like the floor of a brewery, and climbed into his bed. He knew it was a futile attempt, but he'd rather put off the obligatory parental reprimand until it was absolutely necessary.

Having nothing better to do, James decided to sleep through the remaining effects of his hangover. He wasn't expected to be up at least until ten and, if he strained his ears hard enough, didn't even hear the hustle and bustle of his parents preparing for the day.

As he stared at his ceiling, waiting for sleep to once again take over, James couldn't help but wonder how he suddenly got up to that point. Funnily enough, he thought graduating from Hogwarts would be just the beginning of a whirlwind of experiences entailing independence, success and young adulthood. He'd expected Quidditch team representatives to be knocking down their front door, begging him to sign with them.

No such things have happened so far. A few weeks ago, James' dad decided to get the ball rolling for his son and contacted an old school acquaintance. After a successful professional Quidditch career, former Gryffindor Beater Ritchie Coote had decided to branch out into being an agent, managing and helping out young, aspiring Quidditch players score tryouts and making themselves known.

His mum had also helped out by contacting her old Captain and teammate Gwenog Jones of the Holyhead Harpies for any tryouts James could attend. The result of both his parents' efforts culminated in a long list posted on their refrigerator of every walk-on tryout and their corresponding dates for major and minor league Quidditch teams. His first one was less than a week away.

Sure, he had kept a good discipline and went for morning runs and he put the large tree-secluded field behind their cottage to good use for training, but there was always that constant nagging voice in the back of his head; wondering if he was, in fact, ready. What if he was needed to be in a much better state of physical fitness to stand out against the other hopefuls? If he did get in, was he ready for a profession that thrusts him even more into the spotlight than he already was? Could he deal with public opinion, saying that he was never really good enough and only got in because of the blood running through his veins?

Then James was on a broomstick, flying at breakneck speed toward the opposite end of the pitch, gripping his broom securely in one hand and holding his Beater's bat drawn back; ready to swing at a moment's notice. He was flanking three Chasers performing a play, all dressed in navy blue. He had been successfully deflecting every Bludger flying toward his team, when the Quaffle came at him from out of nowhere and exploded.

James swerved away just in time, but had to take evasive action as, seemingly spawned from the exploded ball, more Bludgers appeared on the field. He had resorted to taking steep dives and dangerous rolls to shake the attacking objects, dropping his bat in the process. Then suddenly _everyone_ was gripping Beater's bats, his team and opponents alike, hitting the balls in his direction.

It didn't take long for one to finally land. With a sickening crunch, a Bludger hit him square in the face. James had yet to register the blinding pain before the sensation of falling became just as dominant.

With a yelp and a kick of his legs, James woke up. Turning, he swung his feet off the bed, needing the sensation of his feet firm on the ground to get over the nasty shock in his dream. Sure, he was a Quidditch player and there were risks he was well aware of, but it didn't make them any less terrifying when one actually was plummeting to the ground.

Not bothering to check the clock on his bedside table, James fished out a plain white t-shirt from his closet and proceeded down the stairs. The usual breakfast spread was on the kitchen counter, his dad had his eyes fixed on the Daily Prophet as he took a swig of coffee. His mum had a stack of parchment, drafts of articles waiting to be proofread, stopping from time to time to leave notes.

"Morning Jamie," said Ginny as she spotted her eldest stumbling toward them.

"Morning mum," James replied, fluidly throwing an arm around his dad's shoulders, kissing his mother on the cheek and sliding into an empty seat.

"Everything alright up there?" Harry asked, fixing an inquiring gaze on his son.

James shrugged, "Just a bit of early performance anxiety manifesting itself, y'know?"

Both his parents chuckled. Both having had experience on the pitch, Ginny having once been a professional player, they knew what their son is going through.

"It's just that," James shared, pausing while he grabbed a few sausages, toast and eggs, "I'm trying to break into the big leagues now. I'm making Quidditch my livelihood so the stakes are just that much higher."

His parents shared a significant look. "We're glad you realize that," his mother replied, "which is why we want to have a word with you about last night."

James tensed. He didn't think he managed to successfully sneak home without their knowledge. Apart from keeping intruders out, the wards alerted the heads of the household of people entering their property. "I did send word I'd be staying the night at Aidan's, right?" James asked thoughtfully through a bite of food.

Harry nodded, "You sent a drunken text to my mobile. Don't worry, I got the gist of it."

"So what did you want to discuss?"

His mother took the lead on this one, "You're an adult now and I'm sure, like all of us, you've got certain…_urges_."

James shut his eyes forlornly and placed his head in his hands. If he was right in assuming the direction this conversation was going…well, it wasn't something he'd like to subject himself to, if he could help it.

"Merlin mum, no offense to you…or _you_, dad…but you aren't exactly the people I'd talk to about any of my urges, if I can help it," James said, "I'd also appreciate that you don't allude to your own, thanks."

His dad wasn't saying anything, but was holding his newspaper in front of him, staring at it resolutely. His mum decided to continue, turning the slightest shade of red, "Just hear us out, Jamie."

James dropped his fork, having lost his appetite.

"Being a professional Quidditch player puts people in the spotlight. You're already quite well known, just from being your father's son. When you get signed by a team, you're making yourself a public figure too," his mum said. "That means you need to exercise some restraint. Drinking until you pass out or do something you'll regret will put you under a lot of heat, love. We just want you to know what you will eventually have to deal with."

James' brow furrowed, "Are you afraid of what the whole clan will have to deal with if I screw up?"

Ginny shook her head, "The family will manage just fine." She shared a look with his dad before she continued, "We just want you to keep a level head about you and that you don't hurt yourself in anything that happens."

James considered her words for a moment. Eventually, he nodded, "Alright mum. Even I have to admit, after waking up this morning, all that drinking wasn't such a good idea. It'll probably set me back on training today."

His mum rose from the table, grabbing her plate and placing a kiss on his forehead before heading back to the kitchen. "You're very dedicated, James, and we know that will carry you far. But please know that we're not trying to stop you from having fun. You can have a drink or two with your mates; you don't have to swear off it competely."

After magicking her plate clean, Ginny returned to the table, very evidently trying to hide a smile, "So Harry, go ahead and tell James your news."

James curiously looked at his dad, who had set his paper down at some point the conversation got less awkward. He too looked like he was trying to suppress a grin.

"I got an owl last night," Harry began, "from a good friend of mine. Oliver Wood. Know him?"

James felt his eyes grow comically large. "Head coach of Puddlemere. What did he want?"

"Says he heard through the grapevine that my kid was looking to be signed by a team," he shared, pausing for dramatic effect before regarding James' wide, unblinking stare, pressing him for more information. "He'd like to take a look at what you can do."

James shot two feet into the air, whooping as he did. He grabbed both his parents in each arm and pulled them to him in a hug.

"This is abso-bloody-lutely fantastic! This just made things so much better." And it had. The aches and pains from early that morning seemed a distant memory, "inching his way closer to the stairs. "I'm going for a run, and then I'll owl him back that I'm interested."

James raced up to his room and clumsily pulled on some sweats and running shoes before making his way back downstairs.

"Thanks you guys," he told his parents once more, before bolting out the front door.

* * *

**If you would be so kind as to leave a review to tell me what you thought, what you believe I should improve on. That would be just boss.**


	4. It's A Risk That I'm Taking

**Nothing is mine but OCs. Come to think of it, only a handful are important to this story and others' names are just tossed around so Hogwarts doesn't seem so empty aside from the Nextgen kids. JK Rowling's greatness encompasses all she has created and then some. Song title is from "Halo" by Beyonce.**

* * *

**It's A Risk That I'm Taking**

_FROG CHOIR NEEDS MEMBERS!_

_Do you have dreams of stardom?_

_Are sold-out crowds packed into Quidditch stadiums the stuff your dreams are made of?_

_Do you fancy yourself akin to legends like Celestina Warbeck, The Weird Sisters and brooding musical sensation Lorcan d'Eath? _

_Come to Classroom 6A to start making your dreams come true!_

A flier bordered with gold stars that belted out fanfare every few minutes caught Lily's eye on the Gryffindor message board. It was the first time she started feeling any hints of normalcy again. Since her realization on the train, everything seemed to blur together as if she was passing them by in a trance.

The only time she'd experienced some sort of thrill would be her snog sessions with Brandon. But even then, all it really accomplished was keeping her mind blurry and occupied enough to forget her problem temporarily.

"Lily?" A voice from the girls' staircase called out to her. Turning around, she spotted two of her friends, Tory and Natasha making a beeline for her.

Both girls had their eyes fixed on the board over Lily's shoulder. Upon spotting the loud and gaudy flyer, they executed fairly similar eye-rolls.

"Damn, can they be any more pathetic?" Natasha laughed.

Lily chose to ignore her comment, "We should probably go to breakfast. Longbottom will be handing out timetables and I don't want to miss mine."

Leaving Gryffindor Tower and descending to the sixth floor, it was hard not to pinpoint where exactly Classroom 6A was, despite never having taken Ancient Runes. The classroom doors were thrown wide open and a few students had been filing in and out at odd intervals. Despite being unable to properly see what was so interesting in the classroom, sounds of the ever-present laughter and camaraderie were still heard.

Two flights of stairs changing did not do much to stall the girls from getting down to the Great Hall, not since they had four previous years to have memorized the castle. Professor Longbottom was already handing out the first years' schedules, but he always did a second lap to catch any new arrivals. Brandon had arrived soon after, stopping to give Lily a kiss before running to join a group of his fellow sixth years.

Lily was well into her breakfast, disinterestedly listening to Natasha boast how the hairclip she was wearing at that particular moment was part of the latest Parisian fall fashion when a very noticeable croak came from behind her. Directly across from where she was seated, Riley Lancelot had situated himself at the Hufflepuff table for his own meal, setting down his book bag and gingerly placing a toad roughly the size of a Pomeranian on the seat next to him.

"Hi Riley," Lily called out, setting her fork down and moving her legs out from under the table so she may face him properly, "Are you feeling any better?"

Upon recognizing her voice, the young Hufflepuff turned to look at her, his face set in a toothy grin. "G'morning!" he greeted, "And yes, I am feeling much better, thank you."

Lily smiled in response. Upon disembarking from the carriages that took them to the castle, Madam Macavoy had been waiting for him at the Entrance Hall, armed with her mobile medic kit. Thankfully his nose was, in fact, not broken. But by then, a few bruises had formed on his face which were taken care of by applying bruise removal paste.

Returning her smile with a nod, Riley returned to his breakfast. But Lily felt another pair of eyes on her. The toad shifted from where it was perched and was now staring straight at her, its inky, beady eyes just fixed on her unblinkingly.

"Who's your friend?" Lily asked.

Riley turned back to look at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. He followed her gaze, then chuckled upon realizing who she was referring to. "That'll be Ajax."

Lily laughed, "Ajax?"

Riley laughed nervously, "Yeah. I got him when I was eleven and he didn't like me then, not at first. He had this habit of jumping on my face and sliming me." He reached down to give the toad, who was still watching Lily unblinkingly, a pat on its bumpy head, "We worked our issues out in the end. He's part of a knot that sings with the choir." He looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, "That is, unless we get solos."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know you got solos. I've never even heard you sing solo."

Riley swallowed his bite of toast before replying, "Professor McCormack reckons that we've developed our vocal ability enough to showcase it separately. That and…" he paused, his face taking on a pained appearance, "…we haven't really performed in public since that time the school decided to throw fruit at us."

Lily looked away uncomfortably, "Sorry."

"Why are _you_ sorry?" Riley frowned, "I didn't see you throwing anything."

Lily nodded quietly. She remembered screaming at James and Albus for that. She knew her brothers weren't bad people; they were raised by their parents after all. But the ease in which they were swept up into a crowd mentality was the price for their popularity.

Riley saw her unease and, to remove the tension, stood to pick Ajax up and held him out to her, "You wanna hold him?"

Lily's eyes grew wider and looked at the creature being offered to her. Riley had his hands on its round body, its front legs draping over his fingers and its hind legs hanging limply below. Its blank, black eyes were still boring into hers, its throat bulging out from time to time.

She reached out tentatively to grab hold of Ajax…until Riley was shoved several feet to his right.

Unbeknownst to them, Brandon had seen their interaction and had decided to intervene. "Get that thing away from her!" he growled at the boy now sprawled on the floor between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

Lily couldn't do anything but blink for the few seconds after it happened. As a crowd began to form, she collected her wits about her, clenched her fists and turned toward the offending party. "Brandon!" she hissed furiously.

By now, a group of ten students that rose from their respective houses had converged to help Riley. Lily would've marveled at the Frog Choir's solidarity if she wasn't trying to beat Professor Flitwick to the punch at telling Brandon off.

She was in the middle of her rant, Brandon unwaveringly defending his actions the whole time ("I knew you didn't like disgusting animals, Lily-baby, so I was trying to protect you."), when a panicked voice cut through the din.

"AJAX, NO!"

Lily whirled around and promptly ducked. The toad's hind leg grazed her hair as it leapt and fixed itself to Brandon's face. Brandon himself had started screaming like mad, stumbling over the crowd while simultaneously trying to remove the creature wrapped around his head. A few of his Quidditch friends had moved to help him, while Riley scrambled to his feet, following them with shouts of "Don't hurt him!"

The commotion had taken itself out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall. Lily felt her legs carry her out as well, all the while simply staring transfixed at the events unfolding. Her brother Albus rose from his breakfast with the Slytherins to do his Head Boy duties while Rose was caught by surprise loitering by the stairs leading down to the dungeons. Scorpius Malfoy just ascended from the Slytherin Common Room and had a similar reaction.

It took a while and a considerable amount of effort, but the Quidditch players were finally able to wrestle Brandon down. The two heads and teachers were ready to cast spells to forcibly remove the steadfast toad from the boy's face, but Riley soon stumbled out of the Great Hall and begged for a chance to coax Ajax off.

Several minutes later, the toad was safely back in Riley's arms, while Brandon was being half-supported up to the Hospital Wing, his face damp from exertion and toad slime.

"I expect to see you in my office soon, Mr. McLaggen, so we can discuss your behavior toward other students!" Professor Flitwick called after the retreating forms.

Rose and Al, along with the other prefects, got the crowd of students to disperse and head to their respective first class of the day. Riley got off with a warning and a reminder to learn how to control his pet.

* * *

This being Lily's OWLs year, the professors were merciless at assigning essays. As such, the morning events were quickly pushed out of her mind. Thankfully, she had boring History of Magic for her to mindlessly doodle on parchment and collect some of her wits about her.

It was here that she also came to a bit of an epiphany with her inner crisis. It wasn't exactly that she was unhappy with life in general; it was more along the lines of lacking that feeling of belonging and self-worth. The Quidditch players were adored by everyone in the castle, but that aside, they had a bond that was shared between people who experienced the same rushes and thrills they got when they were giving their all on the pitch. Rose was working toward her singular purpose of becoming a Healer while Albus had his own pursuit of law he was occupying himself with. Even James was now one step closer to becoming a professional Quidditch player.

While Lily had about three more years until she left the comfort of Hogwarts and was ready to face the real world, she couldn't deny how she was aching for that feeling. How she noticed that she was following a path that now looked to be aimless and had no goal in mind, no matter how realistic or grandiose it could be.

With Binns being the last professor she had to see for the day, Lily packed her things and strode out of his classroom with purpose, ignoring her friends' requests to wait. She didn't quite know what she was passionate enough about to throw herself in headfirst, but she figured she had to start somewhere. So it was with this same purpose that she sprinted up the steps, taking them two at a time and narrowly missing vanishing ones.

As her destination loomed in front of her, she geared up for what she was about to do. It also did her a world of good to block out that small voice in her head, asking if she was sure about what she was attempting.

Breathing heavily, she burst into Classroom 6A, interrupting Professor McCormack from his introduction, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm Lily Potter," she said, taking a steadying breath, "and I'd like to audition for Frog Choir."

* * *

**And this is where I lost steam. Don't worry, I'll be hard at work on Chapter 5. I've read the reviews and the one thing I'm working hard at is making it less predictable. I guess I'm too formulaic of a person that I find it hard to stray away from those, even though I know good writing usually goes that way. **

**I'll get there eventually. **

**And before I forget, it should be at your discretion who you imagine to be portraying the characters in this story. I'm a bit curious as to who you think should be "playing" each character in your head. If you'd like, I could also share my "face claim" for each character as I was putting the story together. **


End file.
